Tours & Cruises

All Steamed Up Over Rail Trip to Mt. Shasta

A 12-day voyage to almost the bottom of the world--Ushuaia, Argentina, on the island of Tierra del Fuego--is available from Zeus Tours. Departures are weekly.

A tour of Ushuaia visits the End of the World Museum, a fishery and a former prison. An excursion goes to Tierra del Fuego National Park, whose bird life includes the wandering albatross, heron, oyster-catcher, blacker carpenter, falcon and condor. A half-day cruise from Ushuaia sails through nearby bays and the Beagle Channels.

El Calafate, set on Lake Argentino, is the gateway to glacier country. The Moreno glacier covers about 75 square miles and is one of the world's few moving and growing glaciers.

A city orientation tour is taken in Buenos Aires, where the first evening is spent at Tango Mio for dinner and a tango show.

Italy's biggest parties are celebrated during the February Lenten season. "The Carnivals" tour of Venice and Verona will take place Feb. 15 to 26, with an optional four-day add-on to Florence and Viareggio.

The carnival includes art, theater, dance and opera performances, and exhibitions. It is celebrated in the streets and squares for three weeks. Costumed gondola races are held in the Grand Canal.

Carnival in historic Verona is a lavish parade in period costume with satirical floats winding through the medieval streets.

Cost: $2,875 includes round-trip air fare from Los Angeles or San Francisco; transfers; accommodations in Venice; mask-making workshop with local artisan; tours of mask-making shops and studios; rail fare to Verona; boat trip to Burano, Murano and Torcello; and performances. Viareggio is an extra $650.

Contact: Danu Enterprises; tel. (888) 476-0543.

Brazil's Architecture

Rio de Janeiro will be the first stop on a 10-day tour that will highlight three of the most architecturally unique areas in Brazil. The tour runs March 11 to 22.

The village of Parati on the coastline west of Rio, a well-preserved colonial relic, will be the next stop. The tour concludes with the exploration of Brasilia, capital of Brazil. Tour participants will have the opportunity to visit the works of architect Oscar Niemeyer, including Canoas House, the new contemporary art museum in Niteroi, the National Cathedral, and palaces and government buildings in Brasilia. Additionally, participants will tour private homes.

Cost: $3,335 per person, double occupancy, including air fare within Brazil, hotels, most meals, entrance fees and gratuities. Air fare to Brazil is not included.